Chapter 2 - The Man Without a Badge
The man at the back door wore a gray jacket with the words Metro Home Security stitched across the chest.
Rachel had never heard of the company.
He held a black tool case and smiled through the glass.
“Mrs. Carter?”
Rachel kept the door locked.
“Yes?”
“Your husband reported a connection problem. I’m here to inspect the exterior control unit.”
Daniel had mentioned no appointment.
Rachel glanced at the man’s jacket. The company name looked professionally embroidered, but the letters were slightly uneven.
“Can I see your identification?”
The man’s smile disappeared for half a second.
Then he reached into his jacket and held up a plastic card.
He kept it too far from the glass for Rachel to read.
“I only need access to the side panel,” he said. “You don’t have to let me inside.”
“I’ll call the company first.”
“Of course.”
He stepped away from the door.
Rachel searched for Metro Home Security on her phone.
No local company appeared.
When she looked up, the man was no longer standing by the door.
His van remained parked near the fence.
“Mommy,” Lily whispered.
The girl stood at the entrance to the kitchen, hugging her stuffed rabbit.
“Go upstairs,” Rachel said.
“I don’t want to be alone.”
Rachel checked the back door twice before taking Lily into the living room.
She called Daniel.
His phone rang six times before connecting to voicemail.
Rachel tried again.
No answer.
She opened the airline application. Daniel’s flight showed that boarding had closed. A few minutes later, it was listed as departed.
For a moment, Rachel felt foolish.
Her husband was on an airplane. The man outside was probably an independent contractor working for the company that installed the system.
Then a soft scraping noise came from the side of the house.
Rachel moved toward the window.
The man was kneeling beside the exterior security panel. His tool case sat open in the grass.
He was not repairing the wires.
He was cutting them.
Rachel stepped away from the window before he could see her.
She called the security company listed on their original contract.
A representative answered.
“My name is Rachel Carter. Our system just disconnected, and there’s a technician outside.”
The representative asked for the account number.
After checking, she said, “Mrs. Carter, we did not send anyone to your address.”
Rachel’s grip tightened around the phone.
“Did my husband request service?”
“No. There are no appointments scheduled.”
“Can you reconnect the system?”
“I’m attempting to, but the exterior unit appears to have been physically disabled.”
Rachel looked toward Lily.
The child had heard enough to understand that something was wrong.
“What should I do?” Rachel asked.
“Move to a secure location and contact law enforcement.”
The scraping outside stopped.
An engine started.
Rachel rushed to the window just in time to see the gray van pulling away.
She recorded the license plate, but mud covered two of the characters.
The security representative remained on the line.
“Mrs. Carter, are you safe?”
“I think he left.”
“Please call the police anyway.”
Rachel almost did.
Then her phone rang.
Daniel.
She answered immediately.
“Who did you send to the house?”
There was a delay before Daniel spoke.
“What?”
“A man came to the back door. He said you reported a security problem.”
“Oh. Right. I forgot to tell you.”
Rachel closed her eyes.
“You forgot to tell me a stranger would be coming to our home?”
“He isn’t a stranger. His name is Eric. The installer recommended him.”
“He cut the wires.”
“He probably had to remove the damaged connection.”
“The security company says they didn’t authorize anyone.”
Daniel sighed.
Rachel recognized the sound. It was the sound he made whenever he wanted her to feel unreasonable.
“Rachel, I’m about to lose service. Please don’t turn this into another crisis.”
“Another crisis?”
“You’ve been anxious lately. I’m worried that you’re frightening Lily.”
Rachel looked at her daughter.
Lily was staring at the phone with wide eyes.
“Where are you right now?” Rachel asked.
“On the plane.”
“I can hear traffic.”
Silence.
Then Daniel laughed.
“We’re still moving toward the runway.”
A car horn sounded clearly in the background.
Not an airplane announcement.
Not an engine from a runway.
A car horn.
“I’ll call you when I land,” Daniel said quickly.
The line went dead.
Rachel lowered the phone.
Lily stepped closer.
“Mommy, Daddy wasn’t on the plane.”
Rachel looked toward the disconnected security keypad.
May you like
“No,” she said. “I don’t think he was.”
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